'Huge Surge' in numbers of children in care

October 20, 2017 | matt

Last week, concerning details came to light through various news outlets regarding a ‘huge surge’ in the number of children in care.

The Independent reported that in the 12 months to March 2017, the number of looked-after-children in England and Wales reached 72,670 – the biggest annual surge in seven years. On average, 90 young people enter the care system every day and the rise in children coming into care has been attributed to poor housing, poverty and substance misuse; problems which have been exacerbated by ongoing budget cuts.

The figures which were released last month show the rate of number of looked-after-children in the North East of England is the highest in the country (92 per 10,000), closely followed by North West (86 per 10,000). To put this into some context, these figures are almost double those from London (50 per 10,000), while the South East had 51 per 10,000.

“We recognise that there will be situations in which no matter how much help is provided to a family, a care placement may still end up being in a child’s best interests. However, when that happens, the funding gap facing councils also makes it harder for them to provide the best possible support for vulnerable children. We know that while there is some really good support out there for children in care, this can vary hugely across the country.” Sam Royston, Policy Director for The Children’s Society, Huffington Post, 13th October 2017.

Whilst these alarming reports highlight a need for additional funding for councils and support services which are already at ‘tipping point', they also highlight the need for more foster carers to come forward now more than ever.